https://nordictimes.com/culture/sweden-rock-continues-to-impress/

Culture

Sweden Rock continues to impress

The Nordic region's largest music festival, Sweden Rock, was held this year in Norje, Sölvesborg. Naturally, The Nordic Times culture reporter Mikael Rasmussen was on site to experience the battling stage performances, dramaturgy, and poetic presence that could have been lifted straight from a fairytale world.

Published 24 June 2025

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More of everything sums up this year’s edition of Sweden Rock Festival. Lots of media, tons of photographers, huge crowds, merch, partner companies, Viking and medieval demonstrations of strength in the form of lifting logs in a way that would have been right at home at any Viking market. The audience was treated to high-octane stage art, dramaturgy, and poetic presence drawn from the worlds of film and theater.

Above all, this year’s festival delivered fantastic performances. One of the strongest in terms of musical quality, showmanship, songs, vocals, and overall balance was the band that I saw, heard, and lyrically contemplated at Palladium in Stockholm in 1995. Back then, they were promoting their album Helpyourselfish with its characteristic compositions… Now, 30 years later, better than ever, the Danish band D-A-D, with band members Jesper Binzer on vocals and guitar, his brother Jacob Binzer on guitar and vocals, the ever-charismatic Stig Pedersen on bass and vocals, and Laust Sonne on drums, serve up cool songs such as Sleeping My Day Away, Bad Craziness, Rim Of Hell and more. With a new art CD release in the form of Speed Of Darkness, they are maintaining their brand with good self-esteem and confidence. The rock icons hold it all together with the common thread of recognizability from their successful sound, their unique vocals, beautiful stage clothes, stage presence, charisma, and tight, fat drum and bass lines, to which the audience responded with raised hands and singing along in unison to the famous rock songs.

“Aim to be the best in the world”

Artist Razz also had a chat with guitarist Oskar Lindroos and bassist Jonathan Thyberg from the band Bloodstain, a band that aims to be the biggest in the world. At first, they described their goal as reaching the biggest stage, Festival Stage, at Sweden Rock, but after a while they realized that they had already achieved that goal.

– Yeah, we might as well aim to be the best in the world, said Oskar and Jonathan.

They also shared that the band name Bloodstain came about when one of the band members’ fingers started bleeding from playing the strings too hard, and it became so meaningful and symbolic that everyone in the band felt a blood bond.

They describe how the songs are created together in the rehearsal room and how the choice of metal was also made in a truly democratic spirit. All the members of the band have different backgrounds and there is a strong foundation of blues, rock, and metal that contains many of its scales. When asked if harmonica fits into their sound, the answer is obvious.

– Hell yes, said Oskar with a twinkle in his eye.

Time flies and the interview with Oskar and Jonathan is over before we know it. Jessica Lindroos, one of the band’s co-managers, enters our interview room and we realize that it’s time to wrap up, hoping to see and hear more from Bloodstains in the future.

A glorious mix of bands

Many visitors praise the Sweden Rock management for managing to put together a festival with so many incredible bands to enjoy, be charmed by, sometimes be frightened by, and repeatedly be completely enthralled by. One of the many great rock bands was definitely The Mercury Riots with their captivating artistry and song catalog. King Diamond was a fascinating experience with his characteristic wonderful falsetto vocals and dynamic theatrical and dramatic performance. A liberating Swedish act that affected the entire Pistonhead tent was Knogjärn with its stage language, light and color play, lyrics, and music that is impossible to resist, which can inspire any coward to start daring to take control of their situation.

Yes, it is definitely memorable to have had the privilege of experiencing these highly skilled bands, some of whom are in their 70s and 80s, such as the Scorpions, who are celebrating their 60th anniversary. These are memories for life that reach all the senses and touch the heartstrings, gilding and adding a golden edge to the lives of all who appreciate these experiences. It was particularly impressive when the band Meshuggah delivered an unparalleled light show in the middle of the night. Soen treated the audience to a musical fire show with a poetic and tasteful performance. Slipknot conjured up all kinds of creatures and had the audience almost speaking, or rather singing, in tongues based on call and response. The bombastic hard rock storytellers of the Swedish hard rock band Sabaton closed the entire festival session – a piece of theatrical drama with props including a tank, Carolingian costumes, gas masks, flamethrowers, and a crescendo of fireworks that made it feel like the entire Sweden Rockauditorium was celebrating New Year’s Eve.

Many bands at the festival also expressed their gratitude and thoughts to all those who worked at the festival site, including Cruzified Barbara, whose singer Mia Karlsson expressed her sympathy for all the children affected in Gaza.

Impressive organization

In the lead-up to Sweden Rock, many column inches were written, including about SVT’s documentary on Sweden Rock and its general, Ingolf Persson, who has shown skepticism toward many journalists – and even toward the memoir book about Sweden Rock and its journey up to the 30-year anniversary released in 2023. Ingolf views it primarily as a fairytale book and holds a distinctly different view of Sweden Rock’s soul than the one presented there

Many campers arrive in style, declaring that camping is half the fun. Visit Blekinge has also described using Sweden Rock as a tool to attract new residents. The festival has been described by some media as pompous and maximal. One person even said, “actually kind of rock’n’roll”…

It’s safe to say that the festival brings together many different people, target groups, and age ranges — and can best be summed up with joy, love, interest, and above all, gratitude. When all is said and done, we got to see and hear as many as 93 bands across five stages with a mixed repertoire – an impressive feat of organization considering the incredible logistics of artist and band transitions, coordinating and accrediting journalists, photographers, audience hosts, security personnel, guards, stage workers, electricians, and more

As the festival neared its end, most realized they had been bitten by the dangerous animals and bands that had graced Sweden Rock — from the viper Huggorm to Scorpions, whose nerve toxins sometimes manifested as ear-shattering, cheeky, and visibly paralyzing death spasms. We’re already looking forward to getting stung again at Sweden Rock Festival 2026.

Mikael Rasmussen alias Artist Razz

https://nordictimes.com/culture/surstromming-a-fragrant-tradition/

Culture

Surströmming – a fragrant tradition

Published 21 August 2025

– By Editorial Staff

Montage. Photo: Johan Andersson, Prankster/CC BY 2.0

Surströmming's stinking saga – from salt shortage to world fame!

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

The third Thursday in August traditionally marks the premiere for eating the Swedish – strongly fragrant – dish surströmming. The fermented fish, which is both hated and loved by Swedes, has a long tradition – particularly in Norrland (northern Sweden).

Fermentation is one of humanity’s oldest methods for treating and preserving food. In Sweden, for example, archaeological finds from fermentation facilities in southern Sweden have been discovered that are 9,000 years old.

Fermenting fish specifically was something that was very common primarily in the northern and western parts of Sweden, writes Levande historia. As early as 1572, fermented fish is mentioned, and the oldest evidence for the word surströmming is from 1732. It was naturally common to make fermented fish from herring, but other types of fish were also used: roach, perch, as well as whitefish, trout and char.

Even though surströmming has a very special odor, “sur” (sour) doesn’t mean it’s spoiled or rotten, but simply that it’s acidified.

Salted and fermented herring

Salting was also a common way to preserve fish. The difference between salting and fermenting is precisely the amount of salt, but also fermentation. When making salted herring, you use a high amount of salt that prevents bacteria in the fish from fermenting and thus preserves it. With surströmming, you instead use a lower amount of salt and let the bacteria ferment.

Gustav Vasa’s salt shortage

During the 16th century, Sweden was hit by a salt shortage because the then-king Gustav Vasa allegedly mismanaged his credits with trading partner Lübeck, something that Surströmming Academy writes about. As punishment for this, salt deliveries to Sweden were cut off. This in turn led to a marked increase in the production of fermented fish and surströmming because less salt was required.

Even during the 18th century, Sweden was hit by another salt shortage due to discord with England. The salt shortage led to less production of salted herring, and more surströmming.

Birch bark and barrels

To produce surströmming, the fish was first cleaned, then lightly salted in a barrel and covered with birch bark. The barrel was closed with a tight lid. There is evidence that the barrel was often buried and the fermentation process allowed to take place this way, which has led to the fish sometimes being called “grave fish”. Otherwise, the barrels were often stored in a lakeside shed. The fish fermented during the summer and was then eaten in the fall.

Surströmming premiere at restaurant Tennstopet in 1950. Photo: Gunnar Lantz

From everyday food to delicacy

Surströmming was common everyday food in the past and was often eaten by simple and poor households, primarily along the Norrland coast (northern Sweden’s coastline). Originally, surströmming was sold in the barrels it was made in or in open vessels, but during Sweden’s industrialization, the fish began to be sold in canned form.

During the latter part of the 20th century, Swedes began to regard surströmming as a delicacy. In 1940, it was legislated that the surströmming premiere should be the third Thursday in August. This was because authorities wanted to ensure that the fish had fermented sufficiently before it was sold and eaten by the public. The law remained until 1988, but despite this, the tradition of the surströmming premiere lives on primarily in the northern parts of Sweden.

Ulvön island is often called the island of surströmming because it was the place where the fish began to be produced in larger volumes. Today, no industrial production of surströmming takes place on the island, but the spirit of surströmming lives on among the population. In 1999, for example, the Surströmming Academy was founded to maintain the culture. Today there is a museum and the surströmming premiere is a traditional highlight on the island.

Traditional celebrations also exist in other cities. Today there are nine salteries that produce surströmming in Sweden.

Today, half of all surströmming is consumed north of the Dalälven river and the other half south of the river, particularly in Stockholm, Sweden. More than half of those who eat surströmming do so only once a year.

Schnapps is part of it

Eating surströmming is a festive occasion where family and friends gather to eat the fermented fish. It’s a tradition that lives on and not much has changed regarding how it’s eaten.

Due to the strong smell, it’s recommended to open it outdoors, but this wasn’t done in the past. Then you weren’t a “real surströmming eater,” according to stories recorded by the Institute for Language and Folklore.

“You opened the lid and the good ‘whiff’ was allowed to spread. Then you take the surströmming directly from the can and eat it like that”, told Karin Wedin (born 1884), Per Perssson (born 1891) and Anders Liiv (born 1881) in Hedesunda and Valbo, Gästrikland in 1973 (Isof Uppsala, ULMA 29063).

After chewing the surströmming directly from the can, it was also common to eat it with accompaniments. These accompaniments are still eaten today and consist of boiled almond potatoes, flatbread, chopped onion and sour cream. Often the surströmming is placed on the flatbread together with the accompaniments, but you can also make a so-called surströmming sandwich where you also butter the bread and fold it together into a sandwich.

It’s often served with schnapps, but also beer, something that also lives on from the past.

“You drink schnapps the whole time. It’s said that real surströmming lovers eat up to twenty herrings”, the same storytellers as above have testified.

Classic serving of surströmming. Photo: Robert Anders/CC BY 2.0

“Surströmming Challenge”

During the 2010s, surströmming reached foreign shores, not because of its delicacy status in Sweden – but because of its “stinking” character. On social media, under the hashtag “stinkyfishchallenge”, it became popular for people to film themselves both opening surströmming cans and eating it.

The viral spread has made surströmming more famous in Swedish food culture and attracts food enthusiasts as well as tourists to surströmming events.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

https://nordictimes.com/culture/time-to-rock-delivers/

Culture

Time To Rock delivers

This year's edition of the rock festival Time To Rock took place in Knislinge, a small town in Skåne, southern Sweden. During four July days, The Nordic Times' cultural reporter Mikael Rasmussen was on site to experience a festival filled with emotional artistry that blends well with a strong familial community spirit – and of course: Loads of music!

Published 8 August 2025

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The four days were filled with community, appreciation and a tremendous amount of music. It’s friendly, cozy and the visitors who choose to attend Time To Rock do so with care. The festival is like a big family that welcomes and integrates. It strikes most visitors what a thoughtful spirit prevails within the constructed community called Time To Rock.

The musical acts are numerous and varied where many tastes are truly satisfied. It’s especially charming to observe when children also come along and show appreciation as well as provide humor in that way that only children can when, for example, their favorite band performs. Smash Into Pieces attracted children and adults alike where the entire festival area swayed as both seated and standing audience members sang along, applauded and smiled in agreement at how well everything fits like a glove.

Advertising partnership with Brokamåla

The promised land of camping life

The festival is also reaching its limit in terms of accommodation for those who choose to camp. There were 300 more overnight guests than last year and now the Time To Rock management needs to look for land alternatives. This means the festival can accommodate approximately 1,100 camping guests. But the land issue becomes a tough nut to crack, expresses Martin, the camping general maestro, who guided Mikael Rasmussen around the camping area in his fine golf cart. There’s a lot of recycling during these days where a collaboration with a dealer in Kristianstad, Sweden enables them to even return cans from Germany, for example, precisely because there’s such a quantity and the metal is valuable, just as valuable as the metal music that’s played and performed from the stages.

For example, the German veteran band Dirkschneider performed with Udo Dirkschneider and his characteristic workshop height that thereby lifted the entire atmosphere to the audience’s delight. Their repertoire on this occasion was to play all the songs from the legendary album Balls To The Wall which celebrated its 40th anniversary. There was also an opportunity for the audience to rock out to Dirkschneider’s encore conducting the song Princess Of The Dawn.

Three stages with 47 bands where most of the playing schedule held up health-wise except for Black Ingvars who we missed with their interpretations of children’s songs, schlager and dance band swing in incredibly heavy hard rock arrangements. At short notice, the band Alien replaced Black Ingvars’ absence instead. It’s enjoyment for all the senses with all the bands that perform. There are wonderful bands like Quireboys who offered beautiful southern rock with elements of very competent rock harmonica. The band Oomph thundered like Rammstein and the singer offered theatrical looks and expressions. More senses were also satisfied when Cobra Spell performed in latex, leather and managed to conceal the most intimate parts in kinky leather and latex as well as their instruments.

Crescendo on the fourth day

Clearly the best was the last day of the festival’s four fully packed days of beer, food, camping and musical equilibrium. Always equally fantastic to see and hear Mikkey Dee from legendary King Diamond then Motörhead and now frequently touring with Scorpions, where he traveled from Hannover to Knislinge, Sweden to perform songs from the time with Motörhead.

— It’s a shame about the bands that have to perform bad songs to empty audiences while well-composed melodies are a pride to perform such as Ace Of Spades, said Mikkey with a twinkle in his eye.

What song should we play now then, Mikkey asked the audience. Ace of Base, came the joking response from the audience.

The program continued and was followed thereafter by, for example, Jean Beauvoir, the children’s favorite Smash Into Pieces with delicious catchy songs, cool computer graphics and fire show. Then Majestica with fantastic guitar equilibrium by Tommy Johansson like Yngwie Malmsteen and with a singing voice that in its highest registers conjures images of Judas Priest’s Rob Halford himself. Yes, these are truly powerful experiences and the program delivers and then tops it off with Myrath who alternates oriental dance and musical elements in their metal-based melodic compositions.

The charismatic theater and drama-dressed singer Noora Louhimo in Battle Beast gives her band and the festival’s visitors new dimensions and it would be desirable if the musicians also knew to match the artistic drama queen Noora. New as master of ceremonies this year was Orvar Säfström.

Welcome to your comfortable comfort zone! Orvar encouraged the audience in a hymn to the legendary departed Lemmy from Motörhead. The audience was urged to look up to the sky because that’s where he is, stated Säfström, and nowhere else!

Another encounter that touches my soul and heart is with one of the festival’s most frequent visitors. The person is named Jens Björk and we can all see him usually sitting in his wheelchair on the designated wheelchair ramps with a good view of the stages and artists. At regular intervals, Jens wants to film with his smartphone or stand up and groove to the rhythmically heavy hard rock and metal songs that reach him perhaps deeper than the rest of us. Jens suffered a stroke and subsequent aphasia about 10 years ago and has since undergone various therapeutic treatments.

Jens constantly works on practicing language, movements and social contexts. It feels extra nice when trust is built up and our mutual patience means we understand each other and music is like wisdom at such a frequency that it can only be perceived. Therefore music can be healing and curative, and despite the high sound volume streaming from the speakers at Time To Rock, the ears are not damaged but instead the tones reach deep into the audience’s bodies. And Jens texts me a couple of days after Time To Rock packed up and writes like this:

“Good evening! Jens here with the wheelchair. Now I’ve woken up after a wonderful festival in Knislinge and the last band Sonata Arctica – really lovely end to the festival”.

This certainly puts a finger on how important these fantastic festivals are!

Bows & curtseys

So thanks to the entire Time To Rock management with festival general Andreas Martinsson at the helm, press manager and everyone’s Andreas Hygge Hügard to all those who built up the festival environment, host and security personnel, emergency services such as police and ambulance who also like the church had a welcoming event element where those who wanted to familiarize themselves with its so important functions. These good people were Time To Rock 2025 and visitors already express a longing for Knislinge’s oasis. May all good energies flow!

And we also put in a request for next year — the fantastic goth rock band Fields Of The Nephilim. Thanks in advance!

Mikael Rasmussen alias Artist Razz

https://nordictimes.com/culture/the-hobbit-first-edition-discovered-in-uk-home-fetches-e50000/

Culture

The Hobbit first edition discovered in UK home fetches €50000

Published 7 August 2025

– By Editorial Staff

Photo: Auctioneum

The first edition released in 1937 was printed in only 1,500 copies.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

A rare first edition of J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Hobbit” has been sold for £43,000 (approximately €50,000). The book was discovered by chance in a house in Bristol, England.

“The Hobbit”, which was later followed by “The Lord of the Rings”, tells the story of the hobbit Bilbo Baggins who embarks on an adventure with a group of dwarves to reclaim treasure from the dragon Smaug. The book has become immensely popular, selling over one hundred million copies and has also been adapted into films during the 2010s. The first edition of the book, released in 1937, was originally printed in only 1,500 copies. Today, only about a hundred copies of the first edition are believed to remain in the world.

During a routine house clearance conducted by auction house Auctioneum, the book was discovered by chance in a house in Bristol, England. Caitlin Riley, the auction house’s specialist in rare books, randomly pulled out a green book from the bookshelf.

— It was clearly an early Hobbit at first glance, so I just pulled it out and began to flick through it, never expecting it to be a true first edition, she told The Guardian.

“Very special book”

The copy is bound in light green cloth and features black and white illustrations by Tolkien. Riley soon realized it was a first edition. It was also in incredibly fine condition, which is uncommon since most of these books are usually worn, especially since it’s a children’s book.

The book was auctioned with a starting price of £10,000, equivalent to approximately €11,500. Bidders from around the world drove the price up to more than four times what the auction house had expected. Finally, the book sold for £43,000, approximately €50,000.

— It’s a wonderful result for a very special book.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

https://nordictimes.com/culture/a-poem-about-the-children-in-gaza-while-the-world-watches/

Culture

A poem about the children in Gaza while the world watches

The genocide in Gaza

The children cry from hunger and dream of peace – but the world remains silent. Swedish artist and poet Malin Sellergren depicts the unbearable reality of children in this poem.

Published 5 August 2025

Photo: UNRWA/X

Daily terror, daily pain,
children cry in Gaza’s rain.
Six thousand trucks with food denied,
they starve while waiting on the side.

The bombs fall hard, the homes are gone,
on the cold ground they sleep until dawn.
At night they scream from endless fear,
by day they cry with hunger near.

When will this torment find its end?
When will the broken hearts still find mend?
No bread to eat, no life to live,
a mother’s boy had love to give.

He thought, I made it, almost there!
but bullets struck and stilled his air.
So many tried for food that day,
the soldiers came and shot their way.

And in the streets, so many fall,
just children, innocent through all.
For they were born in Palestine,
their lives erased, erased in line.

The world’s afraid, its leaders weak,
they whisper low, but dare not speak.
Sanctions stall, while time runs thin,
should we boycott oranges… or tangerines?

Yet weapons flow from west to east,
while crumbs are dropped, a guilty feast.
Millions starve, their hope is small,
the world looks on, and does not call.

No one dares to say “Enough!”
Israel’s hand is far too tough.
And those who speak are smeared with hate,
their voices drowned, their words too late.

Meanwhile children pay the price,
their lives are bartered, sacrificed.
Leaders claim this land their own,
they crush the seeds the kids have sown.

But still, among the ash and flame,
the children whisper freedom’s name.
Though caught in Gaza on the street
some of their hearts still beat.

Malin Sellergren, PoeticArtstories

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Sweden Rock continues to impress

“Aim to be the best in the world”

A glorious mix of bands

Impressive organization

Surströmming – a fragrant tradition

Salted and fermented herring

Gustav Vasa’s salt shortage

Birch bark and barrels

From everyday food to delicacy

Schnapps is part of it

“Surströmming Challenge”

Time To Rock delivers

The promised land of camping life

Crescendo on the fourth day

Bows & curtseys

The Hobbit first edition discovered in UK home fetches €50000

“Very special book”

A poem about the children in Gaza while the world watches

News

The Nordics

Opinion

Social Media

N

Polaris of Enlightenment

News

Other

Subscribe to our newsletter!

Follow TNT socials!

© 2022-2025 The Nordic Times TNT. All rights reserved.

Our independent journalism needs your support! Consider a donation.

You can donate any amount of your choosing, one-time payment or even monthly. We appreciate all of your donations to keep us alive and running.

Sign up for our newsletter today!

© 2022-2025 The Nordic Times TNT.
All rights reserved.

Our independent journalism needs your support!
Consider a donation.

You can donate any amount of your choosing, one-time payment or even monthly.
We appreciate all of your donations to keep us alive and running.